Book 2.0

Anytime there is a technology discussion that includes words like reliable, killer user interface, revolution, or instant-anything eyebrows begin to raise, or you wonder what Apple is up to now.

Steven Levy's article in Newsweek about Amazon's new ebook reader is certainly interesting. I agree this "will change the way readers read, writers write and publishers publish" (p. 57), but the jury is still out if this is a revolution.

The attractiveness of this latest entrant into digital books includes the long battery life, independence from a personal computer, and wireless capability. But it is the many other content capabilities beyond books that make this intriguing; like access to newspapers and magazines, ability to connect to Wikipedia, Google, blogs, other web pages, and even other business documents in PDF format. Together these capabilities do make this device the "iPod of reading" (p. 58).

Books and reading in general has been a social activity for centuries, but the question remains: will people want to hold a digital book in their hands or curl up in their favorite spot to journey with the author? Will the limitations of sharing, loaning, or shelving books hold this gadget back or will the overwhelming mass of content take us there eventually?

From a business perspective, Kindle is very efficient. What are your thoughts about the pros and cons from a social interaction perspective?

SOURCE: Levy, S. (2007 November 26). The Future of Reading. Newsweek, pp. 57-64.

MIM

I have never really connected with the idea of Instant Messaging. Not sure if it was the crazy abbreviations, being in a mobile job, or not being fond of interruptions. So, needless-to-say, I was not really surprised when I read the Steven Levy story about Jack Dorsey's new startup Twitter which is a service that allows you to update all your friends and family what you are doing, even when you are mobile (MIM=Mobile Instant Messaging). Not sure I want people to know where I am or what I am doing 24x7, and I would have concerns for my daughters or anyone who may turn from friend to stalker. Like any new technology, there will be flashes in the pan, evolutions and innovations that will find their way into our behavior as second nature.

Source: Levy, Steven (2007, April 9). Twitter: Is Brevity The Next Big Thing? Newsweek, 26

Network (really) TV

Funny how words have a way of evolving. We have all understood "network" television to mean the major networks delivered over satellite or cable to our homes. With the many innovations happening on the internet, Steven Levy with Emily Flynn Vencat have introduced us to a new idea in Network TV: Joost which turns your computer into the delivery device which threatens the future of the traditional TV set. Joost does for copyrighted content what YouTube has done for individual/amateur content: provided a mechanism for people to tailor content to their needs. Considered "peer-to-peer" and "on-demand" this technology adds rich content to our social networks and provides another way for people to connect around shared interests.

Source: Levy, Steven (2007, May 14). Trashing the Tube. Newsweek, 48

Revolution or Redundancy

Steven Levy interviewed Marc Andreesen (co-founder of Netscape) about how he envisions the emergence of social networking. Andreesen suggests "there are going to be social networks around every conceivable category" and is now co-founder of Ning which let's users set up their own social-networking sites.

The business model is one we have seen before, supported by advertising, and confirms that while social networking may be mainstream as a way of interacting on the internet, it remains a convoluted mishmash of sites and services that will eventually converge into a few dominant providers. Eventually.

Source: Levy, Steven (2007, March 19). The Internet Kid Grows Up. Newsweek, E6